With all the known performance issues in FSX, flying airships, E.G. on historical exploration missions, would make perfect sense in that these babys can't go very fast and they give you the opportunity to see what FSX can do in the graphics dept! The "Red Tent" Rescue would also make a fascinating role play in FSX/FS2004.

the above would make a superb scenario to recreate in FSX or FS2004 with the search for survivors of the Italia.

Best and Warm Regards
Adrian Wainer

PS If you haven't seen the Film "The Red Tent" you are in for a treat if you get an opportunity to do so.

Since viewing this film 35 years ago I have been in awe of it, it is certainly my all-time favorite and would most likely get my nomination for best film ever. On this point I probably stand in splendid isolation (or to quote Finn Malmgren: "emptiness, loneliness, beauty, and purity"). I mention this in the hope that this will encourage readers to view the film. If you are seeking a comparison, "Krasnaya Palatka" ("The Red Tent") is most like the original "Flight of the Phoenix"; both are superficially action adventure films, with deep allegorical elements about the dynamics behind the functioning of a civilized society. "The Red Tent" even gets a little philosophical along the lines of life as a journey and not a destination.

This is Director Mikheil Kalatozishvili's tribute to Sergei Eisenstein, a disorienting yet organized montage of vast scale juxtaposed with claustrophobic confinement (its worth watching again just to focus on the scene transitions-the editing is brilliant). The scenes inside the dirigible and the red tent (the title character) are carefully cut into spectacular exterior shots of arctic landscapes and the dynamic energy of crowds in the Russian countryside and city.

There is a fusion of European expressionism with Hollywood realism in this film unlike anything I have ever seen before. This is possible because of the storytelling device of having everything unfold in flashbacks by the main character General Nobile (Peter Finch). Nobile was the organizer and commander of Italy's ill-fated attempt to reach the North Pole by dirigible. This generally true (certain historical liberties are taken to simplify things) story is told entirely from his point of view.

Forty years after the expedition Nobile is a disgraced figure living in Rome and burdened by guilt and sleeplessness. You learn that on sleepless nights he conjures up participants in the expedition fiasco (both members and rescuers), letting them judge him for his actions 40 years ago. These sessions have been largely inconclusive but this night he pulls out all stops and convenes a full trial in his living room-with almost all the central figures present. More importantly, for the first time he names the ruthless Lundborg (Hardy Kruger) as his prosecutor-a move that Lundborg assures him will mean that the jury will reach a verdict for the first time. These are not ghosts but rather figments of Nobile's imagination and they behave according to his perception of how they would behave.

This storytelling device allows the film to have its own commentary, making it not just an exciting adventure film with wonderful visuals, but an examination of the concept of leadership (much like "Command Decision", "A Gathering of Eagles", and "They Came to Cordura"). More importantly it becomes an allegorical study about free will and destiny, as careful planning and good judgment are just two factors in any complex operation; subject to luck and unforeseen events.

The many characters are a representative cross section of society; with heroes, opportunists, martinets, dreamers, and average Joes. Ultimately, things happen (both good and bad) not because of the challenge of man versus nature, but because of the placement and misplacement of human resources (i.e. the right or wrong person assigned to a particular role in the expedition and the rescue efforts).

From the events portrayed in the "The Rent Tent" it is difficult to fault Nobile as a leader. He wisely turns back to Kings Bay when the weather gets bad, he is genuinely devastated at the loss of some of his men, and his actions after the crash are all reasonable. He can be blamed for allowing Lundborg to bring him out before his men but under the circumstances it was a sensible decision if not a politically correct one. As Samoilovich, Captain of the Russian Icebreaker Krassin points out, a leader is judged by their actions, and their actions by their results, Nobile's early rescue is the reason the other surviving crewmen are ultimately rescued.

Nobile's fantasy trial eventually dredges from his subconscious the realization of why he choose to leave with Lundborg (1000 reasons to stay-1001 to leave). That such a trivial and self-indulgent reason was the difference maker accounts for his continuing guilt. This realization, along with the belief that Amundsen (his peer) is the only one fit to judge him, allows Nobile to finally forgive himself for being human. They go out with Amundsen's advice to reflect not on their failures but on the things they attempted and the wondrous things they saw. There is no guilt in not achieving an ambitious goal, making the attempt is more important than succeeding.

FS2004 FS Design Shop Version of the Norge, Semi_Rigid Airship
This was an Italian built airship designed by Umberto Nobile. The government of Norway charted the airship to go to the North Pole. Sound: Lennart Olsson and flight Dynamics by G. kirschstein.Aircraft and Panel by Frank J. Petriccione. By Frank J. Petriccione September 2005

FS2004 Latham-47 Twin-engined biplane flying boat. This particular aircraft was flown by Roald Amundsen on the attempt to rescue members of italian expedition on the "Italia" airship. By Alexander Belov. 1MB

FS2002 STD/PRO model Savoia Marchetti S 55 X
This is the virtual model for Fs2002 of the famous italian flying boat. The model here presented shows one of the examples of the plane that took part to the historic North Atlantic flight to commemorate the tenth anniversary of foundation of Italian Royal Air Force in 1933. Archive contains two different examples of the plane. One with Marshall Italo BALBO marks and the other with that of Capt.NANNINI. This is the 3rd version of my model, it is made with FSDS2 from ABACUS has full moving parts, a detailed cockpit canopy with pilot inside, a 3D virtual cockpit . Model and panel by Massimo Taccoli. The Balbo example is repainted by Luigi Speroni.

Sweden: In 1927 and 1928 Fokker delivered 2 C.Vd's and 6 C.Ve's to the Swedish airforce. In 1928 a licence agreement with the CVM factory at MalmstÃƒÂ¤tt was finalized, after which this manufacturer delivered 35 C.Ve's [1 C.Vd] to the airforce. Later, in 1929 Fokker themselves also produced and delivered another 6 C.Vd's. The well-known balloon incident at the polar ice at June 23, 1928 involving the Italian General Nobile also involved a rescue mission by a Swedish C.V. With this plane [registration 31 and flown by Lieutenant Einar Lundborg] the Italian General was flown to safety.

FS2004 Fokker C.v-M/26This aircraft made an epic flight from Copenhagen to Tokyo and back in 1926, flown by A.P. Botved (pilot) and C.J.C. Olsen (mechanic). The Fokker C.V was a very succesful series of aircraft used for reconnaisance, as a light bomber or a two-seat fighter. It could be fitted with a lot of different engines, and wings of several configurations. This aircraft (R1 of the Danish Army Air Force) was powered by a 512 h.p. Lorraine-Dietrich 12eb inline engine. It was delivered as a C.V-C with square wings that made it look like a scaled-up Fokker D.VII. For the long-distance flight it had longer, tapered wings of the C.V-E type fitted, and all military equipment was replaced with extra fuel, oil and supplies for the crew. By Jens B. Kristensen. 2.8MB

NB The Above aircraft is in Danish colours [ rather than Swedish ] and I find the various post World War 1 variants of the Fokker VII confuseing, if anybody knows of a sim aircraft which better represents Lundborg's aircraft, post it in the thread, thanks!

In June 1928, an Aero Junkers F 13 piloted by Gunnar Lihr took part in the search for the explorer Umberto Nobile's airship, Italia, which had crashed north of Spitsbergen. Lihr succeeded in rescuing one of the expedition's scientific team, a feat which brought considerable publicity for both Lihr and Aero. Two years later, Aero received more international press coverage when a Junkers F 13 located the Norwegian vessel, Bratvaag, carrying the bodies of the crew of the ill-fated Andree Expedition to Oslo from Spitsbergen, where they had perished in 1897.

Junkers G-24, this aircraft [ but not in Turkish colours! ] was carried aboard the icebreaker Krassin and also there was a Swedish airliner of this aircraft type involved in the search for the red Tent.

Hi Adrian, yes sounds good, let me sleep on it ok.do you want the actual search set up, the scenery where the aircraft took off from or the airships voyage? or crash site?
The Castle Archdale mission has now been uploaded to flightsim awaiting scrutiny. Should be available soon.
Regards
Dave